Use Pig Ears in a Sock for Dog's Dental Hygiene

We are told we must brush our pet's teeth. Raising a grandchild, I don't need one more thing to do nor the expense (over $100) of having the vet do it. I put a piece of a pig's ear (purchased in bags at Walmart) in an old sock. The dog chews it through the sock and it keeps her teeth clean.

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Source: A lady I met in college told me she let her dog chew on her bath towel after she showered and while she was dressing. I converted the process using the pig's ear.

These small old garments are easily chewed through and even small pieces of cloth can get caught in a dog's intestine. Intestinal blockage is often FATAL in dogs. It isn't worth your dog's life to save a buck or two. Surgery for intestinal blockage can easily run a few thousand dollars.

The large "dental floss" ropes are only a few dollars. I bought a few for $1 for mine. Even if the dog breaks a few strands, they can't really chew off a big enough piece to swallow or block their intestine. Use your old socks for cleaning but NEVER as a toy for the dog!

I am VERY MUCH agreeing with the first poster. Never let your dog chew on socks, especially textiles that can be ripped off and swallowed.

If you continue to ignore these warnings, the dog will end up giving you a huge vet bill, or the dog will suffer by dying due to the fact you are too cheap to pay that vet bill. You can get healthy dog toys at the dollar store, including the dental ropes, and they are 1-2 bucks a piece.

I would think the dog would probably not eat the sock but it might and intestinal blockages in dogs probably are one of the most expensive procedures that vets do. They do it all the time.

I like that you are being inventive about toys for the dog though. Sometimes the simplest things like nylabones are great if you make a big deal over them and make the dog think they are really something!

I clean mine every so often and give them to the dogs and they feel they are getting a new toy. You can make your own rope toys and tie knots in them and burn the ends to prevent unraveling.

I like the little toys that you buy for chewing but I dont like the kind with spikes on them. It usually is too rough for the dogs mouth. Let me know how it goes.

Don't worry about anything, we all learn from trial and error and you didn't learn the hard way about dogs eating things they shouldnt! Robyn

Agree with all the posters here. Please take the socks away from the pup; the shreds of fabric can (and eventually will) either at the minimum, if ingested, cause intestinal upset and diarrhea; enough of it will cause a blockage that can mean at best, surgery and at worst, having to put the dog down.

We've had a few "power chewers". Big dogs with big chewing tendencies over the years, and none of them needed a tooth-brushing or veterinary dental work. Our vet tells us it's due to a couple of things: a good-quality dry-food diet ( kibble helps scrape tooth tartar; wet food does not); plenty of fresh water; minimal doggie treats ( the packaged goodies are the canine equivalent of junk food. Better to treat with fresh vegs like carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas).

Also, pig ears are high-fat; better for the doggie waistline ( and also to help clean the teeth) are plain, unsmoked cow ears or beef muscle tendons ( bully sticks), and also, ice cubes! Beginning when they were puppies, this helped hydrate them, entertain them, scrape and rinse the teeth and helped soothe them during teething.